


Metal Skeleton

by markiboss (purplelly)



Series: Wires and Rods [4]
Category: Septiplier - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Mechanic!Mark, robot!jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 20:29:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7772026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplelly/pseuds/markiboss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack breaks his hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Metal Skeleton

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Jack himself! He posted a pic on Twitter with his 'new hand' and I got this idea, aha. More in this au, even though it's been a year, but I missed my robot!jack au! Hope you guys enjoy! :D

“ _WHAT DID YOU DO.”_

Mark yelled rather than asked, his hands nearly dropping the bags he held.

It’s been about a year since Jack’s sudden appearance in Mark’s life, and Mark’s grown to trust him like a regular human. They’re roommates at this point, and Marks house shows evidence of it. Jack has his own bed, pushed in a corner in Mark’s room. He doesn’t quite need sleep, but he does need a place to power down.

Mark has left Jack in charge of th shop before, and today was one of those days. Jack has done fine before, so Mark had no reason to dot it’d change. 

But then Mark came back, arms carrying bags of robotic supplies, and nearly dropped the fragile parts upon seeing the room.

The big shelf filled with the broken trinkets they have queued for fixing was tipped over, broken parts littering the floor. Amidst the mess, Jack sat in the middle, shell-shocked and alarmingly still.

The robot had one hand completely skinned, exposing the metallic bones and was holding it out in front of him with growing panic in his eyes.

Mark set the bags on a table and rushed to Jack’s side. Jack had started shaking at Mark’s shout, and he looked prepared to start screaming himself at any moment.

“Sh, sh,” Mark said, and Jack’s eyes, slightly glowing and casting shadows on his face, looked up at him. “It’s alright, I’m sorry for yelling. How’d this happen?”

His reassurance calmed Jack a bit. The robot took slow breaths, and Mark heard the faint whirr of the fan in his system.

“The shelf fell,” Jack said. “I was trying to get a tool on the top, but I couldn’t reach it, and the shelf fell.”

“You _climbed_ the shelf?” Mark repeated, amusement starting to replace his initial panic.

Jack nodded, not noticing Mark’s humor. “I got out of the way when it fell. Then I tried picking it back up, but it was too heavy. My hand got...” He trailed off, grimacing at the robotic skeleton hand.

Mark looked over at the shelf. He hadn’t noticed before, but there was a fragment of fake skin pinched beneath the shelf and the floor.

“We’ll get someone to move it for us,” Mark said. “’Cause, if you can’t lift it, then I can’t. I’ll see what I can do for you hand until I get a replacement.”

At Jack’s wide, fearful stare, Mark quickly added, “Skin replacement! Unless anything is damaged?”

Jack flexed his fingers, the mechanics acting as bone and tissue muscle as they moved. Mark noticed an odd clicking sound as Jack moved his wrist in circles. He took Jack’s hand and inspected closer. 

Sure enough, Mark spotted a dented gear, hitting surrounding parts as it spun. It was part of the main control for Jack’s wrist movements, so it malfunctioning could cause serious problems. Though, taking it out would render Jack’s hand useless. Certainly wouldn’t be Mark’s first choice in robotic movements.

Mark tutted as he looked it over. Jack’s body is unique, for more than just the parts in his hand. His creator had used different techniques that Mark was not familiar with. The supplies he bought today was just stocking up the shop. The gear Jack needed was out of date and not something Mark thought he would need. He’d have to do some digging to find the correct part. 

He explained it to Jack, wh onodded along. 

“What are we going to do until we get a replacement?” Jack asked. 

“I’m going to take that gear out, first, before it causes further damage,” Mark said, and lead Jack over to the work table. “It could impair your control over this hand.” 

Just as he said that, Jack’s hand twitched and spasmed, eliciting a gasp from he robot. Mark placd his hand down on th etable, and held it sill as he grabbed the necessary tools.

A moment later, the dented gear was on the table and Jack’s hand flopped around. Mark chuckled at the pout the robot wore. 

“Don’t laugh!” Jack scolded, smacking Mark on the arm with his good hand. “My hand’s broken, you should feel bad!”

“I do feel bad,” Mark claimed, but Jack scowled at the other’s smile.

“I’m going to put that in a sling,” Mark said, gesturing to the robotic hand. “One, so it doesn’t just flop around uselessly, and two, so people don’t look at you strange.” Most of their clients, especially the regulars arriving for check-ups on their bots, don’t Jack is also a robot. Both of them would like to keep it that way. 

Mark carefully wrapped Jack’s arm in a bandage and fashioned a sling, that hopefully looked hospital-worthy. The bandages hid Jack’s metal skeleton completely. To an unsuspecting human, Jack could pass as one of them. 

“There,” Mark said, tying the last knot around Jack’s neck. “Perfect.”

Jack looked down at the sling disdainfully. “How am I supposed to do things with one arm?”

“You’ll adapt,” Mark said. 

“That’s what humans do,” Jack argued, his tone a drop lower. “You adapt.”

“Everything about you is human,” Mark said, matter-of-factly. “The only difference is your body. I think you’ll do fine adapting.” 

Jack colored with something that could be a blush, and said no more.

Mark ordered the parts he needed online, and he should expect them in a week or so. In the meantime, he helped Jack carry objects or fix broken mechanisms. He hired a heavy-lifted bot to lift the shelf for them. A buff, female-looking droid arrived with her owner, towering over both Mark and Jack. She lifted the shelf with ease as Mark paid the owner. Her stare dropped on Jack for an odd length of time, before her owner called her and she turned to follow. Mark and Jack watched them go, Mark with curiosity and Jack with slow fear. He was always uncomfortable with other bots. Mark always wondered if they could tell Jack was different.

Jack’s parts arrived a week later, and Jack couldn’t be more happier. Only using one arm had left him frustrated. He could barely stay still as Mark fixed the new gear in place, then glued the fake skin over the exposed mechanics. 

“Excited?” Mark asked, but didn’t need an answer as Jack grinned at him. “I thought you were ‘adapting’ pretty well.”

And he did. Jack eventually learned how to balance with one arm, or fix a small trinket by holding it in his lap. 

“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t awful,” Jack resorted, but he seemed flattered.

“Just be careful this time,” Mark said, slipping the last flap of skin into place. “And please don’t climb the shelf.”

Jack hopped up, grinning wide as he tested his hand. As Mark stood up, Jack wrapped his arm around his neck.

“Thank you!” Jack said cheerfully, before pulling away and trotting off.

Mark watched him with a fond smile.


End file.
